SeaWorld has previously announced that it will phase out live orca shows.

It said on Thursday it would also also scrap plans for a $100 million project called "Blue World" that would have enlarged its orca habitat at SeaWorld San Diego.

California Congressman Adam Schiff, who was behind an act designed to phase out orca captivity, said: "These changes are something that advocates have been urging for years and I think SeaWorld will find that visitors will reward their actions with a renewed interest in the parks."

SeaWorld's shares rose as much as 6% in morning trading following the announcement.

Dramatic displays by the orcas are the centrepiece of three parks operated by SeaWorld, in California, Florida and Texas.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) worked with SeaWorld on its new policies and said the announcement signalled "that the era of captive display of orcas will end".

Animal rights group Peta told the BBC that SeaWorld should release all its orcas into sea pens or coastal sanctuaries where they can experience "the natural behaviour that they are denied" in the parks.

SeaWorld stopped capturing live marine mammals decades ago, with the majority of its 29 orcas having been born in captivity.